IELTS writing task 2 answer (1) (import)

Question:

In a global economy, many goods, including what we use on a daily basis, are transported from other counties in a long distance. Do its benefits outweigh its drawbacks?

Answer:

It has been debated whether the increase in commodity trades across the border is positive. While I accept that rising imports have a beneficial effect on local communities, I also believe that it has some detrimental aspects.

The availability of different imports in local markets has provided people with a more rich and enjoyable life. The new transportation technology has enabled enterprises to transport goods to all four corners of the world. This means that local lives are now enriched by products that cannot be domestically manufactured. For instance, vegetables that can only be cultivated in a certain geographical condition are available in every supermarket, providing local families with a more nutritionally balanced diet.

In addition, imported goods may lead to lower average market prices, which is beneficial to domestic consumers, because the cost of living will decline. Massive imports can challenge local manufacturers’ dominance and intensify competition in local markets. As an example, China specializes in the production of textile products so China-made clothing is more competitively priced than local counterparts in many parts of the world, and thus brings down the local price to some extent.

On the other hand, some environmental problems may be triggered by long-distance transport. This argument is based on the fact that importing commodities from other countries involves a large volume of transportation, which is one of the culprits of the excessive amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This problem is particularly pronounced in air-freighted import, which has been burning a large amount of fossil fuels every year and contributing to global warming.

In conclusion, transnational trade has certainly improved some aspects of local lives, however, not all of the outcomes of this change have been positive.